Lens holder for lamps



Dec. 7 1926.]

C. E. GODLEY LENS HOLDER FOR LAMPS Filed Nov. 6. 1925 2 Sheets-Shet 2' I Meir for.

GaK/CIQ Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oF IcE.i

CHABLESE. GODLEY, or DETROIT,- MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, 'Bv'mEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro'o. m. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A conronnrron or MICHIGAN.

LENS HOLDER FOR mmrs.

n licatio filea November e, 1925. Serial No. 67,253;

My invention relates to lighting appli-v ances and in its general objects includes the providing of sim le, inconspicuous and easily manipulate means for detachably 6 securing the lens or other translucent member of the appliance to the body or other lens-holding portion. Moreover, my invention aims to provide an arrangement for this purpose in which the means for retaining the 10 translucent member in its normal position v are hinged to the body or other holder member, and are normally retained in position by the resiliency thereof, and in which a simple and inexpensive construction may be em- 16 ployed. v

Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a, construction of this class in which the retaining member is formed so that its resiliency will compensate for irregularities 20 in the shape or thicknes of the portion of the translucent member engaged by the said means; in which this retainingmember can be constructed of a single piece of wire, in which simple perforations in, the body or i other holder member of the appliance will serve for interlocking with the retaining member, in which the body or holder mem-' ber can readily be formed to conceal the interlockin portions of the retaining member, 'and in which the partial or entirereleasing of the retaining member is ermitted by an approaching of the ends of the latter to each other. My invention also provides a construction whichzma be employed with equal facility for a wi e variety of lamp constructions, including lamps having a single piece body and lens-holding member and also including lamps in which my invention is applied to a door or lens-holder which is 4n detachable from the lamp body.

Still further, objects will appear from the following specification and from the accombights intertaching of the translucent member. which is shown in dotted lines. y

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through Fig. 1 along the line 3,3.

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, showing one of the bights of the lens-retaining rin as released from the part of the body or lolder member with which it is normally interlocked.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary central and vertical section through an automobile headlight embodying my invention, in a constructionin which only a single bight is formed in the resilient lens-retaining ring. I

Fig. 6 is .a transverse section through'the same headlight taken from the line 6+6 of Fig. 5 and showing the lens-retaining member in its normal position.

Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 6 but showing the lens-retaining ring as flexed to releaseits bight.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 3 but with the retaining ring swung downwardly out of its nor-v mal position.

Fig. 9 is a-fragmentary central and vertical section through aside lamp for automobile use embodying my invention.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary central and vertical section through another embodiment of my invention, namely one in which my invention is-applied to a door or lens front detachable from the body of a lamp and in which the retaining ring is behind the lens.

In its immediate commercial application, my invention is particularly suited for affording simple, attractive and inexpensive lens fastenings for lamps as used on automobiles. -I am therefore illustrating and describing my invention primarily. in such. embodiments, although I do not wish to be limited to any particular use of the same.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, these Show a dome lamp having a' body memher 1 of inverted cup shape provided adjacent to its month end with a cylindrical collar portion 2 for slidably receiving the" annular rim 3 of a lens 4, which lens softens the light from. a lamp bulb 5 carried by a socket 6 extending through the upper portion of the said body member. The body member also has an annular portion 7 for limiting the upward insertion of the lens by affording a seat against which the rim'3 of v the interior of the collar.

' extent to'which the wire ring can be swung the lens is' ressed by a retaining member which desira y is formed'of a single piece of resilient wire. To retainthis wire in osition, I provide the collar portion 2 o the holder member with three apertures 8, 13 and 14 spaced circumferentially of this' collar portion and also elongated circumferentially of the latter, these apertures all being normally below the rim 3 of the lens.

The lens-re'tainingmember consists of a single plece of resilient wire bent lnto a ring of an outsidediameter normally greater than the bore of thecollar 2 and having its free ends turnedoutwardly of'the ringand extending through the aperture 8 from The extremeend portions 9 and 10 of the wire are recurved away from each other as shown in Fi 3, so as to afford hooks adapted to inter ock with the end walls of the aperture 8, there-' hypo-operating with the relatively small height of the said aperture inlimitin'g the downwardly out of its normal position about the hinging connection afiorded by the engagement of the hook-shaped ends ofthe wire with the collar portion 2.

The retaining member is also provided in-.

termediate ofits ends with at least dne bightprojecting radially outward of the general curvature of the split ring, andeach such bight normally extends through a correspondingly located aperture in the collar portion 2 so that the. bottom wall of this aperture affords ashoulder normally supporting the bight. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the wire has two such bights "11 '12 spaced cir cumferentially of the ring from each; other and from the ends of the ring, and these bights normally project respectively through two apertures '13 and 14 in the collar portion 2,so as to be .sup-

portedby the bottoms of the said apertures, which bottoms both afi'ord shoulders engaged by the bights To avoid rattling and to compensate for irregularities in the thickness 0 the rim 3 of the lens, I'preferably .bow each of the main arcuate portions 15,

16 and17 of the split wire ring slightly upward or toward the lens, as shown to an exaggerated extent in Fig: 2, thereby permitting these bowed portions to be-flattened when the retaining ring is in position and to clamp the 'lens rim tightly against the annular seat 7. I may also recurve the body memberat its mouth end so as to afiord an outer collar 18 as shown in Figs. -1' and 2,

' which outer collar conceals the projecting bights and wire endportions and adds to the moral appearance of the lamp.

ith the dome light thus constructed, it will obvious from. Fig. 2 that the lens can readily he slid into position over the wire retaining ring while the latter is tilted out of its normal position. When the ringis then swung upwardly, the bights 11 and 12 are engaged by the outwardly curved bottom portions of the collar 2 with a cam-action which forces them inwardly by contracting the diameter ofthc split ring, such a contraction being permitted-by the space between the bights of the hooks at the free end of the Wire which space permits these hooks to approach each other as shown in Fig. 4. As soon as the bights 11 and 12 aline with thecor'responding apertures l3 and 14 respectively, they are snapped into and partly through these apertures by the resiliency of the wire, thereby latching the wire retaining member in position. $ino e the split ring is then expanded against thebore of the collar portion 2, this retaining ring isinconspicuous, while the bights 11.

and -12 as well as the 'wire tip portions 9 and 10 are concealed by the outer collar formation 18. Consequently, I can secure a handsome appearance for such a lamp although employing an inexpensive and sin- 7 gle -piece body and bolder member. 7

When the lens is to be detached, the bights 11 and 12 can successively be swung out of their normal latching position one at a time. by vinserting the tip of znscrew driver 'or the like between the collar portion 2 and the respectively adjacent part Y of the ring, so

as to contract this ring after the manner shown in Fig. 4. By making the length of the perforation 8 such that the space between the bights of the two hook formations onthe wire is normally slightly greater than the efiective length of cachofthe recur'ved' wire end portions 9 and 10, I permit a ready attaching of the wire to the collar portion 2 while the ring is supported by the bottom of the aperture, as shown in Fig. 8. i

In the embodiment of Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the resilient retaining wire has only a single bight 4:5 formed in the middle of the wire,

and the tubular supporting portion 16 has only two elongated perforations respectively i entered by the bight 45 and by the hook cnds 37 and 38. In this case, the apertured collar portion 16 is a part of a lens ring 19 spun over the forward end of a 'lamp casing 20", and this lens ring has at its rear end an inwardly directed radial flange 21 which at fords a seat for the forwardly concave rim 22 of a reflector 23. Seated in the groove formed by the concaving of the reflectonrim which the lens-receiving perforated col1:(n.31- conassociated with a split-wire ring 32 structed after .the manner of Fig. 3 or Fig.

6) carries an annular flange 33 directly engaging the rim 34 of the lens 35'.

ig. 10 shows still another embodiment, being a fragmentary view of a side lamp in 'which the lens 1s mounted in a door or lens holder detachable from the body 27 of the lamp. In this case, the lens holder has an inner. member includinga radial flange 28 normally engaging a corresponding flange 29' on the lamp body, and a collar 30 provided with apertures for receiving formations in the retaining wire 'ring17 after the manner of the previously described embodiments, such as the aperture 36. T e

In view of the illustrated embodiments it will be obvious that'the construction and cat can bevaried greatly without departing either'from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1

1. A lamp front construction comprising a lens; alensholder includi a collar peripherally housing the lens an a seat engaging one 'face of the lens, the collar having apertures spaced fromand at the other side of the lens from the seat; a retaining ring formed of a-single piece of resilient wire the collar and having its ends projecting through one aperture and recurved to afford oppositely directed hooks having their bights I serving to expand the major portion of the directed toward each other, said hooks respectively engaging .opposite ends of .the

aperture to afiord a hinging connection between the ring and the collar, the ring havoutwardly directed bight spaced circumferentially of the ring from its hinged connection to the collar," and engaging the other aperture; the resiliency of -the wire ring so as to normally the, said bight to project into the said second aperture and to spread the free ends of the wire apart,

the hinged connection between the free endsof the wire and the collar being arranged to permit. an approaching of the said free ends when the ring is flexed to contract it in diameter so as to withdraw the bight from the aperture, the ring being so formed and the said first aperture and hinging connection being so disposed with respect to the lens and the seatsthat the ring normally holds the lens .against the seat, the portion of the collar beyond the apertures being recurved radially outward of the collar to conceal the said bight and hinging connection.

2. A lamp front construction com rising a lens; a lensholder including a col r periplrerally ho the lens and a seat engaging one face of the. lens,

the'collar having an aperture spaced from and a'tzthe other,

side of the lens from the seat; a. retaining ringformed of a single piece of resilient wire and having its main portion disposed within the collar and having normally spaced hook ends to engage in the-aperture, thereby I providing a hinging connection between the and collar, the ring having an out WardIy directed bight spaced circumferentially ofthe ring from its hinged connection to the collar; the resiliency of the wire serving to expand the major portion of thering so as to normally cause the said bight to project into the said aperture and to spread the free ends of the wire apart, the

hmged connection between the free 'ends' of the wire and the collar being arranged topermit an approaching of the said tree ends when the ring is flexed'to contract it in diand having its main portion disposed within against the seat, the portion of the collarbeyond the aperture being recurved radially outward of the collar to conceal the said bightand hinging connection. I Signed at Darcie Michigan, October 21st,

CHARLES E. GODLEY. 

